How AutoPlay Works

The implementation of AutoPlay relies on the following items:

• A set of 32-bit CD-ROM device drivers. These device drivers detect when a user inserts a compact disc into a CD-ROM drive for Windows 32-bit operating systems; device drivers for MS-DOS or previous versions of Windows do not.
• An Autorun.inf file on the compact disc. When you insert a disc into a CD-ROM drive on a computer running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000, the system immediately checks to see if the disc has a personal computer file system. If it does, the system searches for a file named Autorun.inf. This file specifies the application that AutoPlay runs. It can contain other information as well. For more information, see Autorun.inf.
• A startup application on the compact disc. Although you can start any application on the disc by specifying it in the Autorun.inf file, typically the application performs a startup or installation function. By including your own startup application, you can control the install, uninstall, and run processes for your product.